The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity today announced that Sir Lucian Grainge, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of Universal Music Group (UMG), will be honoured as the 2017 Media Person of the Year.
Grainge is the first music executive to be recognised since the award was launched in 1999.
Media Person of the Year recognises innovators who have shaped the future of media. Just quoting the some of the latest recipients of this award we find such names like: SY Lau (Senior Executive Vice President of Tencent and President of its Online Media Group -OMG- and first executive of a Chinese company to receive this recognition), Richard Plepler (Chief Executive Officer of HBO), Salar Kamangar (YouTube CEO), Jack Dorsey (Creator of Twitter), Eric Schmidt (while he was Executive Chairman of former Google) and Mark Zuckerberg (founder and CEO of Facebook).
The recognition will be presented to Grainge at a ceremony on Wednesday, 21st June 2017, during the Festival.
The assets of EMI and 1st music co. top 10 in the Hot 100
In 2011, Grainge led UMG’s successful acquisition of the recorded music assets of the legendary British music company EMI, revitalizing its iconic Capitol Records, and, in the process, further strengthening UMG’s position as the global leader in music. Under his leadership, the company set numerous creative records including being the first music company to score all 10 of the top 10 spots on the Billboard Hot 100.
In 2016, Grainge was knighted by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in the Queen’s 90th Birthday Honours list for accomplishments in the music industry and leadership through its challenging times, contributions to British business and inward investment.
Grainge also serves on the boards of Lionsgate Entertainment Corp., a premier next generation global
content leader, and Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts.
Philip Thomas, CEO of Ascential Events, organisers of Cannes Lions, said, “Through creative drive, passion and outstanding leadership, Sir Lucian has made bold investments in music and technology that helped return the industry to growth, while continuing to foster an environment that puts artists first. During his tenure, Grainge has transformed Universal Music Group into a world leader in music-based entertainment and we’re delighted to honour him as this year’s Media Person of the Year.”
Agrement with Spotify, but great music and lyrics, still at the heart of success in the streaming age
Grainge commented, “While today’s music industry is virtually unrecognizable from the business I started in, one thing that hasn’t changed is that great artists and great music remain at the heart of everything we do. We are proud to demonstrate how traditional media businesses can reinvent themselves in the age of streaming, leverage new technologies and work closely with brand partners to develop exciting opportunities for artists, labels and fans. On behalf of everyone at UMG and all of our recording artists and songwriters, we’re very thankful to Cannes Lions for this honour.”
In fact on 4th April this year UMG signed amultiyear global license agreement with Spotify, the leading global music streaming service.
Under the agreement, said the official communication released by UMG, the companies aim to advance their partnership to ensure that streaming realizes its full transformational potential for artists, labels and fans by delivering a comprehensive range of music experiences, providing more flexibility for new releases, and collaborating on innovative marketing campaigns across Spotify’s platform.
The new agreement provides UMG with unprecedented access to data, creating the needed ground foundation for new tools for artists and labels to expand, engage and build deeper connections with their fans.
Sir Lucian Grainge has spent his entire career in the music industry and has signed and worked with many worldwide stars, including ABBA, Elton John, Jay Z, Katy Perry, Queen, Rihanna, The Rolling Stones, Sam Smith, U2 and Amy Winehouse, among many others. Over the span of three decades, he has not only pioneered new approaches to the signing and development of the world’s most successful recording artists and songwriters but he has consistently championed the development of innovative business models and partnerships with a wide range of technology and media partners around the world. His inspiring leadership has been recognized as having laid the foundation for a return to growth in recent years of an industry that had been suffering more than a decade of decline.
Grainge joined Universal Music in 1986 to launch PolyGram Music Publishing UK. Within five years, he had led the fledgling division to become one of the top three publishing companies in the UK. Grainge joined UMG’s Polydor in 1993 as General Manager of A&R and Business Affairs, rising to Managing Director of the British record label in 1997. He was subsequently appointed Deputy Chairman, and then, in 2001, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Universal Music UK. In 2005, he was named Chairman and Chief Executive of Universal Music Group International, gaining oversight of global operations outside the U.S. Grainge was appointed CEO of UMG in 2010 and promoted in 2011 to Chairman and CEO.
Image over the headline.- Sir Lucian Grainge, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of Universal Music Group. Image, by courtesy of Cannes Lions.
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